Above ground tanks of different heights.

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lennyk

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Hello,

I presently have a property with 2 400gal tanks identical, they feed a jet pump and associated pressure tank to a house.

Would like to add a 1000gal which is both wider and taller.

Will simply placing a oneway valve at the base of the 400gal tanks prevent the height pressure of the taller 1000gal tank from overflowing the shorter tanks via the base supply outlet ?

Thanks,

L
 

Valveman

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A check valve might work but I wouldn't count on it. It takes 2.31 feet of water to make 1 PSI. So I don't think 1 or 2 PSI will be enough to hold the check valve closed tight. If the check valve doesn't hold, the lower tanks will overflow. I also don't see how you would make a float switch work. If you put the float switch in the taller tank the lower tank will overflow. If you put the float switch in the lower tanks the taller one will never fill up.
 

hj

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How do you fill the tanks, because anything that would fill the tall one will overflow the lower tanks, unless they all have float valves to shut off the flow. If that problem is taken care of, a check valve on the smaller tanks will protect them until the water level in the larger tank drops to their level and then all three tanks will supply the water to the system.
 

Reach4

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If both tanks are open to the atmosphere, you could align their tops. Then do not use a checkvalve.
 

lennyk

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I installed the 1000gal tank in addition to the 2 400gal tanks that were there already.
The 1000gal is about 4 or 5 feet taller. I put in a brass flapper type check valve at the base of the 400gal tanks
where they join with the line from the base of the 1000gal tank(from left) and goes to the right to the jet pump intake.

All tanks are filled via a float valve in each tank.
The check valve is working, however when the pump cuts off, there is a very slight water hammer
on that intake line and you can hear the check valve brass flap slapping back closed.

I wonder if a spring type check valve would have less of this water hammer bounce vibration.
 
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Valveman

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Yes the spring loaded check valve would work better. And it will probably hold better against such low pressure to keep the shorter tanks from overflowing.
 

Reach4

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All tanks are filled via a float valve in each tank.
The check valve is working, however when the pump cuts off, there is a very slight water hammer
on that intake line and you can hear the check valve brass flap slapping back closed.

The tanks are filled via a single pump? What controls that pump? How many GPM is the pump? I am suspecting you might need a hammer arrestor at each float switch or a pressure tank near the pressure switches.
 

lennyk

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In my country city water supply is unreliable, usually few days per week there is no water,
so most households have tanks which are filled from city supply which feeds a pump which
pumps into house when city pressure is low or zero.
 
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